While refrigerated air conditioning systems are almost universally known, the earliest mechanized method of cooling a space was by means of the evaporative cooler. Such coolers operate by wetting down a porous pad or pads with water, and forcing air through the wet pads. The evaporation of the moisture from the pads due to the air moving through the pads, results in a reduction of the temperature of the air. Such systems are relatively efficient in areas where the climate is relatively dry, due to the greater amount of moisture the air can absorb and therefore a relatively large drop in temperature as the air is humidified by the evaporating moisture, and further due to the additional humidity which is added to the air during the process. In dry climates the additional humidity can prove beneficial in many circumstances.
However, in areas such as the southwest where such evaporative cooling systems can operate at their greatest efficiency, it is common for water supplies to be relatively "hard," i.e., for the water to contain a relatively high level of dissolved minerals. When evaporation occurs, such hard water will leave deposits of the previously dissolved or suspended minerals, such as various compounds of iron, calcium, etc.
Such deposits will, over the course of time, block water flow through relatively small passages. This is well known in such devices as shower heads and the like. Much the same phenomenon occurs in the pads contained in evaporative coolers under similar circumstances, in that the evaporation of the hard water in the cooler pads will leave mineral deposits which eventually at least partially block the passage of air through the pads. Moreover, the surface area of the pad material is reduced due to the mineral buildup, resulting in less efficient evaporation. Other cooler components may also be blocked or corroded due to deposit buildup.
While water softening devices are known, they are generally intended for use in an entire household water system, or in combination with the line supply for a specific location, such as at a kitchen sink. Applicant is aware of only one other device intended for use with an evaporative cooler, which device is installed within the cooler, as will be discussed further below.
The need arises for a water softening or treatment device for the treatment of the water supply for an evaporative cooler. The device must be capable of being added to an existing evaporative cooler without modification to the cooler. A relatively simple inline installation is desirable, in order to confirm delivery of a treated water supply to all components of the cooler.